Bat with handle having internal core member and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A bat is provided including a handle portion, a barrel portion and a core member. The barrel portion has an interior cavity with an interior surface. The core member is disposed in the interior cavity of the barrel portion. The core member has an exterior surface engaged with the interior surface of the barrel portion. The handle portion extends into the interior cavity of the barrel portion and is coupled to the core member. The coupling of the core member to the handle allows the impact of the barrel portion on a ball to be transmitted to the user through the core member and the handle portion. The bat may thereby provide the user with an increased sense of the quality of the contact with the ball.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/258,901 filed Nov. 6, 2009. The disclosure of the above application is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to bats and, more particularly, to bats having a handle coupled to an internal core member within a cavity of the barrel portion.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Baseball and softball bats typically include a handle, a barrel, and a tapered section joining the handle to the barrel. The handle, barrel, and/or tapered section can include a hollow interior, thereby forming bats that are relatively lightweight. The hollow barrel can act as a tubular spring, or similar structure. In some bats, the barrel can be of a multi-wall construction while in others it can be of a single-wall construction. The use of a hollow interior in the barrel can provide an increase in the size of the “sweet spot” of the bat wherein the performance characteristics are enhanced over a greater length of the barrel. The deflection of the hollow barrel when contacting a ball can allow greater force transfer to the ball being hit with the bat. The performance characteristics of such a bat, however, may exceed the maximum allowable performance dictated by the rules of various sanctioning bodies.

Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a bat with an enhanced size of the “sweet spot” while maintaining the performance of the bat within the maximum allowable performance as established by the various sanctioning bodies.

Further, bats can be made from a variety of materials. The materials may breakdown over time through usage or compression and alter the performance of the bat. For example, as most composite bats age, their layers progressively separate from one another. This de-lamination both reduces barrel stiffness and results in less energy losses in the ball-bat collision. The effect is a faster exit speed of the ball post-contact. This aging process can either be accomplished by extended usage of the bat or by accelerated break-in via a special device called a bat rolling machine. This technique compresses the bat barrel between two rollers and deflects it abnormally until the barrel compression is 5-20%, by way of non-limiting example, softer than the original bat. While this voluntary breakdown of the bat may compromise the durability, it instantly increases its performance. As a result, a bat that may have originally met the maximum performance characteristics dictated by the rules of the various sanctioning bodies may now surpass that maximum allowable performance. Therefore, a bat that may have at one point met the rules for maximum performance may now exceed the rules, thereby providing the user a competitive advantage that is not allowed under the rules.

Thus, it would be advantageous to have a bat whose performance is not enhanced (or whose enhanced performance is significantly reduced) through the aging process or through an accelerated break-in procedure. Such a bat would allow for a more competitive and equal playing field between users while maintaining compliance with the rules of the sanctioning bodies.

Still further, bats having a hollow interior may disconnect the handle of the bat from the “sweet spot.” The disconnection between the handle and the “sweet spot” can alter the “feel” of the bat such that the “feel” of the bat when striking a ball may be unusual to the user or fail to enable the user to “feel” a significant difference between striking the ball well and striking the ball not as well. The ability to discern the degree to which a ball is hit well can improve a user's performance. Thus, it would be advantageous to have the handle coupled to the “sweet spot” such that a “feel” of the bat may be improved.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

A bat according to the present disclosure includes a handle portion, a barrel portion and a core member. The barrel portion has an interior cavity with an interior surface. The core member is disposed in the interior cavity of the barrel portion. The core member has an exterior surface engaged with the interior surface of the barrel portion. The handle portion extends into the interior cavity of the barrel portion and is coupled to the core member. The coupling of the core member to the handle allows the impact of the barrel portion on a ball to be transmitted to the user through the core member and the handle portion. The bat may thereby provide the user with an increased sense of the quality of the contact with the ball. The core member may resist radial deformation and thereby provide additional resistance to radial deformation of the barrel portion which may reduce the peak performance of the barrel portion while still allowing for a large “sweet spot.” The core member may also reduce the aging process or breakdown of the laminate layers, in the case of a composite bat, such that the performance of the bat does not significantly increase and/or change over its useful life.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bat according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a fragmented cross-sectional view along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmented cross-sectional view of the bat of FIG. 2 showing a deflection profile;

FIG. 4 is a hypothetical graph of the performance of the bat of FIG. 1 relative to a wood bat and a prior art hollow barrel bat;

FIG. 5 is a fragmented cross-sectional of the bat of FIG. 2 showing hypothetical deflection of the barrel and core member under impact;

FIGS. 6-8 are cross-sectional views of the bat of FIG. 2 in various stages of manufacture; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmented cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2 showing a deflection profile of a prior art bat with a hollow unsupported barrel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, applications, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features (e.g., 20, 120, 220, etc.).

A baseball or softball bat 20 according to the present teachings is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Bat 20 includes a handle portion 22, a barrel portion 24, and a tapering portion 26 extending between handle portion 22 and barrel portion 24. Handle portion 22 has a free end 28 at which a knob 30 or similar structure is located. Barrel portion 24 has a free end 32 that may be closed off by a suitable cap or plug 34. A gripping member 35 may be disposed on handle portion 22. Tapering portion 26 may be integral with barrel portion 24 such that tapering portion 26 and barrel portion 24 are a single component. Barrel portion 24 and tapering portion 26 are hollow or at least partially hollow and include an interior cavity 36. Additionally, handle portion 22 may also be hollow or partially hollow.

Bat 20 may include a damping member 38 that in some embodiments can be disposed between tapering portion 26 and handle portion 22. In other embodiments, damping member 38 may be disposed on handle portion 22 between handle portion 22 and barrel portion 24. Damping member 38 may serve to isolate barrel portion 24 from handle portion 22, as described below.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 7 and 8, damping member 38 may be a preformed component that is assembled along with the various other components of bat 20 or may be formed during the assembly of bat 20, as described below. Damping member 38 may have opposite first and second ends 80, 82 with a conical or tapering section 84 and a generally cylindrical section 86 therebetween. Tapering section 84 may have a radial dimension that reduces toward first end 80 and have a shoulder 88 adjacent cylindrical section 86. First and second ends 80, 82 may be open with a generally cylindrical cavity 90 therebetween. Cavity 90 allows damping member 38 to be inserted onto handle portion 22 during the construction process. Damping member 38 may be flexible and operable to dampen vibrations in bat 20. Damping member 38 may be made from a variety of materials. By way of non-limiting example, damping member 38 may be urethane, thermoplastic, a solid rubber, and the like. Damping member 38 serves to isolate barrel portion 24 from handle portion 22 such that direct contact therebetween is not realized. In this manner, damping member 38 may serve to dampen vibrations that may otherwise be transferred from barrel portion 24 to handle portion 22. Damping member 38 may also serve to center handle portion 22 within tapering portion 26 and/or barrel portion 24.

Bat 20 includes an internal core member 40 coupled to handle portion 22 and disposed in cavity 36. Core member 40 may be generally cylindrical with an exterior surface 42 that extends axially between first and second ends 44, 46. Exterior surface 42 may be in direct contact with the interior surface 48 of barrel portion 24, as shown. The engagement between exterior surface 42 and interior surface 48 may be a continuous, non-interrupted interface as exterior surface 42 extends circumferentially around core member 40 between first and second ends 44, 46. It should be appreciated, however, that there may be gaps between exterior surface 42 and interior surface 48 due to manufacturing tolerances and/or do to intentional inclusion to meet desired design or performance criteria.

Core member 40 is disposed on a distal end portion 50 of handle portion 22 within cavity 36. Specifically, core member 40 includes a central cavity 52 that extends axially between first and second ends 44, 46. Handle portion 22 is disposed in cavity 52 such that the interior surface 54 of cavity 52 is engaged with an exterior surface 56 of distal end portion 50. Core member 40 may be retained in a desired position within cavity 36 and/or on distal end portion 50 through the use of adhesives and/or mechanical engagements, as described below.

Core member 40 may have tapering first and second ends 44, 46. That is, the first and second ends 44, 46 may taper axially toward one another as they extend radially inwardly from exterior surface 42 at the junction of edge 70 toward cavity 52. The tapering of core member 40 results in the thickness of core member 40 adjacent edge 70 being less than that adjacent an axial central section of core member 40. Distal end portion 50 of handle portion 22 may have flared section 72 that engages with the surface of tapering second end 46. Flared section 72 may be complementary to the surface of tapering second end 46 such that substantial engagement therebetween is realized. The engagement of flared section 72 with tapering second end 46 may form a portion of a mechanical lock that holds core member 40 in place, as described below.

Core member 40 may be located in any desired position within cavity 36 of barrel portion 24. The locating of core member 40 within cavity 36 can be chosen so that desired performance characteristics for bat 20 are achieved. In some embodiments, core member 40 is aligned with the center of percussion of bat 20. This location may also correspond to the center of the “sweet spot” of bat 20. Core member 40 provides a localized internal support of barrel portion 24 such that the radial deflection (deformation) and/or compression of barrel portion 24 adjacent core member 40 is altered from that of an unsupported barrel portion. Core member 40 thereby locally increases the compression strength of bat 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a prior art unsupported barrel portion 924 may have a deflection profile when striking a ball, such as that hypothetically illustrated by line 960, while a barrel portion 24 that includes core member 40, as shown in FIG. 3, may have a hypothetical deflection profile when striking a ball that is different, as illustrated by line 60. The inclusion of core member 40 limits and/or prevents the radially inwardly deformation/deflection of barrel portion 24 along the section that is supported by core member 40 between first and second ends 44, 46. The sections of barrel portion 24 that are not supported by core member 40, however, may be more easily and readily radially deformed and/or compressed, as shown. As can be seen when comparing FIGS. 3 and 9, the deflection profile of an unsupported barrel portion 924 is different than that of a supported barrel portion 24.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a hypothetical graph 62 comparing the performance of two prior art bats with a bat constructed according to the present disclosure is shown. The vertical axis represents a relative performance of the bats when striking a ball, while the horizontal axis represents the distance from the end of the barrel portion. The hypothetical performance of a solid wood bat is represented by line 64. The performance represented by line 64 can be representative of the maximum allowable performance specified in the rules of a sanctioning body. The hypothetical performance of a prior art hollow composite bat, such as that shown in FIG. 9, is represented by line 66. The hypothetical performance of a bat 20 according to the present disclosure is represented by line 68. As can be seen in graph 62, the spike or peak performance of wood bat 64 occurs at the “sweet spot” of the bat. The performance of hollow composite bat 66, however, is significantly greater than that of wood bat 64 and also has a wider “sweet spot” (represented by the distance to the left and the right of the peak performance) that reduces more gradually than that of wood bat 64. However, the performance of composite bat 66 remains above the peak performance of wood bat 64 over the length of its barrel portion.

The performance of bat 20 has a peak performance that is about the same as that of wood bat 64. The core member 40 supports barrel portion 24 at the “sweet spot” such that the ability to compress and radially deform barrel portion 24 is reduced by the resistance of core member 40 from being compressed and radially deformed. The performance of bat 20 beyond the location of core member 40 remains significantly elevated relative to that of wood bat 64, but below the peak performance of wood bat 64. Preferably, the performance of bat 20 is as flat as possible and equal to or just slightly below the peak performance of wood bat 64, or whatever maximum performance standard is allowed in the rules of the sanctioning body. To achieve a flatter curve, core member 40 can support the middle of the “sweet spot” and gradually allow for softer (less) compression resistance as it transitions toward handle portion 22 and free end 32. As seen in graph 62, the resulting bat 20 according to the present disclosure can have a “sweet spot” that is significantly larger (extends over a longer axial length of barrel portion 24) than that of wood bat 64. Additionally, the performance of bat 20 can be reduced such that it matches that of wood bat 64 while not exceeding that performance over the length of barrel portion 24. The performance of bats can also be measured by the ball-bat coefficient of restitution (BBCOR).

Referring now to FIG. 5, a radial compression of barrel portion 24 and core member 40 due to an impact adjacent second end 46 is shown. The tapering of second end 46 results in the thickness of core member 40 adjacent edge 70 being less than that adjacent an axial central section of core member 40. As a result, when a ball is struck adjacent edge 70, core member 40 may be capable of being compressed and/or deformed radially inwardly more easily than that of a non-tapering core member, thereby relieving or reducing potential stress concentrations in core member 40 and barrel portion 24. The reduction in stress concentrations can result in a flattening of the performance curve of such a bat so that increased high level performance along the axial length of the “sweet spot” may be realized. The reduced stress may also prolong the lifespan of the bat.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 6-8, the manufacture and assembly of bat 20 is shown. Barrel portion 24 and tapering portion 26 may be made by using known manufacturing methods. For example, when barrel portion 24 and tapering portion 26 are a composite, bladder molding, mandrel wrapping, resin transfer molding, or any other suitable manufacturing process may be utilized. When barrel portion 24 and tapering portion 26 are metal, known metal forming processes may be utilized, such as extrusion, swaging, and cold drawing by way of non-limiting example. Handle portion 22 may also be made using the same techniques described above with reference to barrel portion 24 and tapering portion 26. Handle portion 22 is made axially long enough to be able to connect with core member 40 inside barrel portion 24. Handle portion 22 can be dimensioned to have an outer diameter that is slightly greater than the inner diameter of cavity 52 to provide a desired interference fit. The interior surface 54 of cavity 52 and/or exterior surface 56 of handle portion 22 may be abraded to prepare the surfaces for bonding. Interior surface 54 and exterior surface 56 may be coated with a flexible adhesive, such as a urethane adhesive, and handle portion 22 can be pressed into cavity 52, such as by using a press. Handle portion 22 can be pressed into cavity 52 a desired distance such that flared section 72 engages with tapering second end 46. It should be appreciated that second end 46 and/or flared section 72 can also be abraded and have an adhesive applied thereto. In this manner, handle portion 22 and core member 40 are held together in a bonded interference fit.

Barrel portion 24 may have a decreasing inner diameter to limit the degree to which core member 40 can be inserted into barrel portion 24. In some embodiments, barrel portion 24 can include an internal shoulder 94 that can engage against edge 70 of first end 44 of core member 40 to limit the distance to which core member 40 can be inserted into barrel portion 24. In some embodiments, the decreasing inner diameter can be less dramatic and more gradual. The location of shoulder 94 and/or the degree of decreasing inner diameter may be configured to correspond to a desired internal position of core member 40 within barrel portion 24. Interior surface 48 of barrel portion 24 may be abraded to prepare the surface for bonding. The exterior diameter of core member 40 may be larger than the inner diameter of interior surface 48 to provide a desired interference fit. By way of non-limiting example, core member 40 may have an outer diameter that is approximately 0.005 inches greater than the inner diameter of interior surface 48. Exterior surface 42 and interior surface 48 may be coated with an adhesive, such as a flexible urethane adhesive by way of non-limiting example. Free end 28 of handle portion 22 can be inserted into barrel portion 24 through the open free end 32. The core member 40 and handle portion 22, which are already attached to one another, can be aligned within barrel portion 24 and pressed therein to a desired position, such as having first end 44 engage with shoulder 94. This results in a bonded interference fit between core member 40 and barrel portion 24. Moreover, the engagement of core member 40 with shoulder 94 provides a mechanical lock that limits the degree to which core member 40 can be disposed within barrel portion 24 toward free end 28.

Once core member 40 and handle portion 22 are secured within barrel portion 24, bat 20 is placed into a tool that aligns handle portion 22 with barrel portion 24. Damping member 38 can be added thereto or formed thereon. For example, a tapering silicone mold may be used to cast a transition between handle portion 22 and tapering portion 26 and form damping member 38. A variety of casting materials may be utilized to form damping member 38, such as urethane by way of non-limiting example. Once the casting of damping member 38 is cured, bat 20 can be removed from the tool and end cap 34 and knob 30 can be installed to complete bat 20.

Damping member 38 can be relatively soft to dampen vibrations or may be solid or rigid, depending upon the desired configuration with bat 20. The particular type of material used for damping member 38 can be chosen to provide a desired acoustic, stress, weight and/or color benefits, by way of non-limiting example.

The ability of the core member to limit the radial deformation of barrel portion 24 of bat 20 according to the present disclosure also advantageously aids in reducing or minimizing the de-lamination of the layers of a composite bat. In particular, the support of barrel portion 24 provided by the core member can limit the deformation of the layers that form the composite barrel portion such that the layers do not progressively separate from one another or such that the separation is reduced or inhibited. The localized increased compression strength of the barrel portion helps manage the deflections that would otherwise allow the laminate to breakdown. As a result of reducing the de-lamination, an increase in the performance of the bat as it ages and/or through the use of accelerated break-in procedures can be reduced and/or eliminated. The resulting performance of the bat may be such that the performance does not exceed the maximum allowable performance as the bat ages, thereby remaining legal for use. Such a bat may thereby provide for a level playing field for competitors wherein the bats do not have performance exceeding the maximum allowable performance as the bats age.

The core member and handle according to the present disclosure can be utilized with a variety of different bats. For example, the core member and handle can be utilized with bats having a composite barrel portion or a metal barrel portion. Additionally, the core member and handle may also be utilized with barrel portions that are of a single-wall construction or of a multi-wall construction.

The core members described herein can be made from a variety of materials. The selection of the material can be based upon the particular properties that material exhibits. The choice of materials can also be based on the ability of the material to not breakdown under repeated impacts over time. The core member should have the ability to support the barrel portion 24 over the expected lifespan of bat 20 such that more consistent properties may be realized without exceeding the maximum allowable performance. The materials can exhibit orthotropic or isotropic properties. Suitable materials include, by way of non-limiting example, plastics, foams, metals, woods, composites, elastomers, polymers, and the like. The particular material chosen can be based upon its strength in resisting compression, its weight, the sound produced when compressed, and/or the feel provided to a user of bat 20 when striking a ball. Additionally, multiple materials can be utilized to form a core member to provide desired performance characteristics for bat 20.

It should be appreciated that the core member shown is merely exemplary and the other features and configurations can be utilized. For example, the first and second ends may taper outwardly such that they extend axially away from one another as they extend radially inwardly from the exterior surface. Additionally, the edges may be rounded. Moreover, the lengths and positions of the core members may be designed to achieve desired performance characteristics. Furthermore, the amount of engagement or contact between the exterior surface of the core member and the interior surface of the barrel portion can vary from that shown. In some embodiments, the engagement or contact between the exterior surface of the core member and the interior surface of the barrel portion may be discontinuous and/or have gaps therein. In some embodiments, the engagement or contact between the exterior surface of the core member and the interior surface of the barrel portion may be a plurality of discrete engagements or contacts. As a further example, the core member could be of a multi-piece construction that is installed onto distal end portion 50 of handle portion 22 from opposite sides or by clamping handle portion 22 therebetween. Moreover, while a mechanical interface or locking arrangement is shown through the use of shoulder 94 and flared section 72, other mechanical locking features may be employed to maintain core member 40 in a desired position within barrel portion 24 and also to secure handle portion 22 to core member 40. By way of non-limiting example, grooves, detents, snap locks, and the like may be utilized.

The connection of distal end portion 50 of handle portion 22 directly to core member 40 allows vibrations caused by contact with a ball to be transferred through the “sweet spot” into core member 40 and onto handle portion 22. The location of core member 40 within the “sweet spot” of bat 20 can allow for the user to have a sensation of when a ball is struck in the “sweet spot.” Additionally, when the ball is not struck in the “sweet spot” or is slightly off center from the ideal location, the feel transferred to the user may be different such that an enhanced feel of the user on the degree to which the ball has hit the “sweet spot” can be realized.

Thus, the foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. 

1. A bat comprising: a handle portion; a barrel portion having an interior cavity with an interior surface; and a core member disposed in said interior cavity, said core member having an exterior surface engaged with said interior surface of said barrel portion, wherein said handle portion extends into said interior cavity of said barrel portion and is coupled to said core member.
 2. The bat of claim 1, wherein said core member resists radial deformation and locally supports said barrel portion from radial deformation when striking an object.
 3. The bat of claim 1, wherein said handle portion includes a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end being a free end and said distal end being coupled to said core member in said cavity.
 4. The bat of claim 1, wherein said core member includes a central cavity and said handle portion extends into said central cavity.
 5. The bat of claim 4, wherein said core member has axially opposite first and second ends and said handle portion includes a flared end and extends through said central cavity with said flared end engaged with said second end of said core member.
 6. The bat of claim 5, wherein said flared end is conical in shape and said second end of said core member tapers axially toward said first end as said second end extends radially inwardly toward said central cavity.
 7. The bat of claim 1, wherein said barrel portion has a first axial length, said core member has a second axial length, and said second axial length is less than said first axial length.
 8. The bat of claim 1, wherein said core member is located within said cavity at a center of percussion.
 9. The bat of claim 1, wherein substantially an entirety of said exterior surface of said core member is engaged with said interior surface of said barrel portion.
 10. The bat of claim 1, wherein said core member is secured in said barrel portion with an interference fit.
 11. The bat of claim 10, wherein said core member is secured in said barrel portion with a bonded interference fit.
 12. The bat of claim 1, wherein said barrel portion includes an engaging feature that engages against said core member and limits and axial position of said core member in said cavity.
 13. The bat of claim 12, wherein said engaging feature includes a reduced diameter section of said cavity.
 14. The bat of claim 12, wherein said core member axially positioned in said cavity between said engaging feature and a flared end portion of said handle portion.
 15. The bat of claim 1, wherein said handle portion is coupled to said core member with an interference fit.
 16. The bat of claim 15, wherein said handle portion is coupled to said core member with a bonded interference fit.
 17. The bat of claim 1, further comprising a damping member disposed on said handle portion and separating said handle portion from said barrel portion.
 18. The bat of claim 17, wherein said damping member is molded between said handle portion and said barrel portion.
 19. The bat of claim 17, wherein said damping member centers said handle portion relative to said barrel portion. 